“I’ve come to the point where I just can’t make a movie without addressing the problem of humanity as part of an ecosystem.”

– Hayao Miyazaki

Dear Hayao Miyazaki,

It all started one afternoon in my uncle’s room on a hot and humid summer day in The Bronx in 1999. My uncle popped Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime) in the VCR and my brother, cousin and I sat in awe for 134 minutes. Then I watched it again. And again. And again. I fell in love with Princess Mononoke that day, and concurrently with everything that you breathed life into.

Mononoke was different yet so familiar, like a story I knew I always needed to hear. There was violence, industrialization and humans juxtaposed against nature, spirits and gods. But it was all beautiful. I didn’t know who was bad and who was good. It was strange not knowing who to root for, especially at 12 years old. But then I realized that was the point. It’s rare in family films that the line isn’t distinct between the hero and the villain. Life isn’t black and white, and through your films you showed us and prepared children for the realities of the world.

After Mononoke, I devoured any and everything you made that I could get my hands on, from Porco Rosso, Spirited Away, Laputa: Castle in the Sky and much more. Totoro,Kiki and Nausicaä represent a lot of your recurring themes such as reverence for nature, highlighting independence and encouraging pacifism but depicted in such magical ways. Disney had female characters, some strong, some not. But you are constantly representing strong female characters in your work. They were not always likable, but always real, and I respect and admire you for that. That is what young girls and boys need to see.

You are one of the worlds greatest directors of animation and writers to grace this planet. Your films tickle my soul and you make the world a better place.

Well… I supposed the “best” part is subjective, so subjectively it’s the best Ponyo cosplay I’ve found for my lovely readers. Hayao Miyazaki is one of my favorite directors/animators and I love to praise him and his work any chance I get. Aside from the Totoro Tattoo Tuesday and Miyazaki Tattoo Tuesday I plan on doing a series of Miyazaki Cosplay posts. Ponyo, along with Miyazaki’s other films, always tickles my heart and gives me the warm fuzzies. I love his themes of feminism, pacifism and nature. If you haven’t seen any Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli films they are an absolute must!

This post, as you’ve noticed, is dedicated to the adorable Ponyo (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea). I’ve scoured the net for the best cosplay and I hope you enjoy it!

Mona and Nathan made this adorable Totoro Christmas card which I’m featuring as the Picture of the Week. Christmas is on Saturday and what better way to represent that with everyone’s favorite forest spirit Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro.

Most of his movies have similar themes although very different and imaginative story lines.

“Miyazaki’s films often incorporate recurrent themes, such as humanity’s relationship to nature and technology, and the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic. Reflecting Miyazaki’s feminism, the protagonists of his films are often strong, independent girls or young women. His films are also notable for dispensing with traditional villains in favour of morally ambiguous antagonists presented with redeeming qualities.(wiki)”